My physics class is having us dissect a common object, and of course I took this chance to do the yoyo. That being said we need to interview a competition grade yoyo’er some questions about the device. If any competition yoyo’ers could help us answer these that would be great: Also if you could just leave your name along with the answer to these that would be awesome. Thanks so much.
What has attracted you to this profession, as well as the device itself?
Can you name some of the innovative advances in yoyoing?
What is your favorite type of trick (whips and slacks, speed, etc.)?
Do you use a different yo-yo for different styles of yoyoing?
What do you believe is the future of yo-yo contests? Have they become more/less popular in recent years?
Do you think yoyoing will become more advanced in the future? If so, In what ways?
Could you suggest a way to improve the device? If not, what about its design do you think helps you as a competitive player the most?
What is the current configuration of your yo-yo (favorite string/bearing size/etc.)?
What matters the most in your throws (height/gap size/string size/etc.)?
Who is currently the most respected competitive yo-yo competitor?
What do you suggest we include in our project about the yo-yo? What is important about
its history/structure/operation and what is your vision of its future?
This is true, But if its for a class project, the teacher probably wants what he/she considers a “reliable source”. But I second the motion, just talk to Zammy, or email André.
1: Profession? Hardly for me. Sport? OK. Hobby? Sure. What attracted me to it? Always thought it was cool.
2: Innovations?
Ball bearing, metal and plastics(think YYJ), different shapes and weight distrbution, metals, weight rings, delrin. Hub stacks and other spinning elements be it inside or outside. The latest innovation are these undercut designs.
3: No favorite tricks.
4: Yes, mostly. Modified for 2A, dedicated off-strings for 4A. 1A and 5A are often interchangeable for me. No 3A yet.
5: I think yoyo contests are becoming more popular, but I feel this will peak in a couple of years and then decline again, peaking again in perhaps another 12 years from this point. It’s kind of a cycle.
6: Yes. I think yoyo will become more advanced. Most of the rules and mindset has been broken and new brains are being brought in with ideas largely uncluttered by some of the past structure. In some ways this is good, that by not having anything to cloud vision, one can move forward easier. Still, having the fundamentals is essential to have the building blocks that can lead to innovation. As each player brings their own “spin” to the game, there’s really no telling how this will go. I will say more complex string formations and more grind-oriented yoyos will enable newer and crazier tricks. I am waiting for fuill side stacked yoyos with a sepparate spinning rim and an inner bearingized inner spinning rim inside the yoyo for “grind, grind, grab” action. It WILL need to be metal and it WILL be expensive.
7: The yoyo itself doesn’t need improvement if we’re talking from a general point of view. Players are finding ways to tweak the designs to be more beneficial to them, but these aren’t really massive changes.
8: Not applicable. I’ll play darn near anything with a bearing in it. But I have so many in different configurations that it would take forever to answer.
9: What matters most in my throw? A good throw.
10: I think Hiroyuki Suzuki. He did it his way in 2012 with his OWN brand, his OWN premier yoyo, his OWN string and his OWN company. Not a major fan of Marcus Koh, but he proved his 2011 win wasn’t a fluke with his 2012 2nd place, so he’s got my respect. I think a lot of “non-Asian” players are not quite getting the respect they deserve on the World Stage right now, but that will change. I’m not saying Asians are better. We’ve had champions all over the place, age and race.
11: I think YOU need to decide what you feel is the focus of your paper/project, and then come back asking for answers there.
Other than that, the report can be about the yoyo as a toy, since it’s hard to get proof of it being a weapon. Show how the toy has evolved, and has overcoming being merely a child’s toy, but truly an ageless and timeless classic that can be enjoyed by nearly any person.
Here you go. I hope this will help you with your class project and everything related to it. Goodluck with it!
1. What has attracted you to this profession, as well as the device itself?
I was first attracted to yoyo due to peer pressure that was going on in my time of 6th grade. Every kid that I knew in my grade had a yoyo thanks to Yomega introducing the Yomega X-brain. This was my start in my “Yoyo Career”. After yoyoing for the past 15 years now and considered a “professional” to some extent, it attracts me due to the artistic nature of it.
The Device itself is simple. A piece of “rope” attached to two circular based shapes with a axle in the center. Its simplistic. In this day and age however there is many other things associated to it. Weight rings, friction stickers, bearings, silicone grooves, Schmoves…So many things.
But the basic idea of string, a center piece and two circular halves still remain.
2. Can you name some of the innovative advances in yoyoing?
The most innovative thing when it came to yoyoing was the Ball bearing. Before hand yoyos were only able to “sleep” for mere seconds but when the Ball Bearing came into existence it allowed the yoyo to sleep for minutes which the feeling would be light years futuristic. The first sucessful Ball bearing yoyo was the Tom Kuhn SB-2 yoyo.
3. What is your favorite type of trick (whips and slacks, speed, etc.)?
The general types of tricks that I specialize is a high focus of slack manuevers intermixed with technical knot like formations. I’m also very well known for specializing in a substyle of yoyoing known as “Moebius” where you use the slipknot loop that you put on your finger and you use it specifically for tricks.
4. Do you use a different yo-yo for different styles of yoyoing?
Yes I do. For regular 1a I tend to use a throw that has a heavy amount of weight on the rims with stability at possible maximum. This allows for maximum sleep time and stability for horizontals. I also tend to used flared rim yoyos, for example being the Code2. For Moebius, my alternate style, I like to use a throw that is floaty on the string and a bit lighterweight allowing for smooth-none sluggish play
5. What do you believe is the future of yo-yo contests? Have they become more/less popular in recent years?
What is the future of yoyo contest, that is truly something very difficult to say. The current Judging system is based on a point/click system which ultimately it favors for the yoyo crowd, but not for people outside the community. People outside of it ultimately get bored watching. The future yoyo world needs outside sponsorships in order to keep current competitors to WANT to keep competing. Example would be higher amounts of money for a 1st place win instead of trophies, yoyos, things of that nature.
Yoyo contests have been a sort of neutral area where its not so popular versus many more people can get to a contest. There is a lot more sponsored players due to a lot more companies, thus sending their players to contests quite the distance.
6. Do you think yoyoing will become more advanced in the future? If so, In what ways?
Yoyoing as a whole has already been becoming more advanced then it ever has before. Every facet with yoyoing has evolved more in twelve years then it has in the past eighty years that it has existed. Yoyo tricks have reached a sort of plateau while less then popular alternative styles are considered “fresh” or new and thus you see trends amongst players.
So its all a life-cycle when it comes to the tricks. However, the “lifestyle” of yoyoing will someday improve. Yoyoing in someways can be considered a subculture. We have our tastes in music, clothing…everything. More companies will happen, more events will take place, more yoyoers will be new and old to the scene.
7. Could you suggest a way to improve the device? If not, what about its design do you think helps you as a competitive player the most?
Its hard to dictate as to a way to improve the device, the device being the Yoyo. As I said before we have evolved more in ten years then eighty. The current trend is to have hefty weight on the rim, while the shape resembles a V-type formation. In all honesty, we have hit the pinnacle on Yoyo design. Some trends currently is taking out material for the yoyo shape (the undercut) in order to allow smoother play or more weight at the rims.
Competitive play is all about what I said above. V-shape style and or H-shape style is what all these new kids are playing with in this day and age.
8. What is the current configuration of your yo-yo (favorite string/bearing size/etc.)?
The current configuration for the throw I am using is: Onedrop Nickle Cascade, two flow-groove silicone pads, a ten-ball bearing, Nickle disc side effects, and toxic dragon string.
9. What matters the most in your throws (height/gap size/string size/etc.)?
This question concerns my personal preference which ultimately varies as my taste in yoyos change literally from day to day. I tend to switch to a H-shape style throw (Code1) to a organic based throw that is fairly wide (Cascade) but also switch up with a flared V-shaped throw (Code2).
Size for me is a throw that is based in the 56 Diameter which is classified as “Full Sized”. Gap size has to be fairly big due to the alternative style of yoyoing I do.
10. Who is currently the most respected competitive yo-yo competitor?
Currently most respected? MANY competitive yoyoers are regarded and respected in this community. One yoyoer currently right now in particular is Zach Gormley whom won the National Yoyo Contest 1a division after trying quite a bit over the years. His name is well known due to his sponsorship with CLYW.
11. What do you suggest we include in our project about the yo-yo? What is important about
its history/structure/operation and what is your vision of its future?
Well, since this IS a physics project you should highly consider the phsyics behind a yoyo like the energy and all that googly junk. That would be a great main point for this project.
The history behind the toy, like anything with history, is that it ultimately teaches us about the mistakes in the past and how we can not do them in the future. I have seen many things happen in this little community of ours. There is still many things that can improve between the United States association and the Global yoyo scene. Something that I hope will improve for the long overall.
What is my vision for yoyo? For it to become possibly mainstream, or even to the equal of Skateboarding and Snowboarding. For contest to have better judging. For yoyoers that do not compete to also have the same respect as those that do. For kids of all ages to have yoyos. More popular events for throwers to go to. More publicity.